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Sharpening woodworking tools has been a hot topic lately and our original sharpening page has piqued a ton of interest but was light on details. We are hoping to remedy that with articles from our shop and woodworking professionals. I recently contacted the good folks at Work Sharp (Professional Tool Manufacturing) regarding sharpening gouges using their WS3000 sharpening system. This is a key topic because, like me, many of you struggle with sharpening gouges and other "curved" carving and turning tools.

The Work Sharp WS3000 provides an excellent in-built tool holder below the abrasive disk for sharpening flat tools (plane irons, chisels, and so forth). However, gouges and similar tools are sharpened free-hand, under the wheel. Initially, I found this a bit awkward, and thus sought out advice from the pros, and what follows below is their response:

Jack, the following are instructions on how to sharpen your gouges.

I use a good light, a Sharpie (felt pen), the WS3000, and slotted wheels with 400 grit and higher abrasives for sharpening. If you are shaping a large v-gouge, you can begin with 80 grit abrasive. (Just be careful at the tips of the gouge so that you don’t burn them.)

To sharpen:

1. Install a slotted wheel with 400 grit or higher abrasive and position the light source above the wheel to give you the best visibility through the wheel.
   
   
2. Color all three surfaces of the gouge with a contrasting color of ink. (Blue or black sharpies work great for me.)
   
   
3. Position one of the (flat) surfaces flush against the underside of the slotted wheel. (This will give you a rough idea where to start when you begin sharpening.)
   
   
4. Start the machine and roughly position the gouge in the same place as you did in Step 3. (TIP: It is much easier to hold the surface flush if you use a foot switch to start the machine.)
   
   
5. Slowly feed the gouge into the wheel with light pressure. You will see the grinding begin on the surface, lightly position the gouge so that the entire surface is being ground at the same time.
   
   
6. Roughly hold the gouge at this angle, and lightly roll the gouge on its axis across the middle (curved) surface. Use the "Sharpie" marks as a guide to maintain the angle as you rotate.
   
   
7. Rotate the gouge until you contact the third (flat) surface. The gouge should be close enough to the correct angle to sharpen the entire surface at the same time. Repeat Steps 5 through 7 as needed. (It may help to reapply the ink between steps.)
   
   
8. Lightly hone the (three) inside surfaces of the gouge with a slip stone or fine grit sand paper on a stick.

To re-sharpen and/or hone.

1. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 above with 1200 grit abrasive or the Micromesh abrasive.
   
   
2. Start the machine and slowly feed the gouge into the wheel. Lightly position the gouge so that the entire cutting edge is being honed at the same time.
   
   

   Tip: Hold the bevel at a slightly larger angle so that only the cutting edge and around 25-50% of the surface is being honed. This will produce a micro-bevel. You’ll be able see the ink removed in the area you are honing. Use this line as a guide to control the angle on successive passes.

3. Hold the gouge at this angle and lightly roll the gouge on its axis across the middle (curved) surface. Use the sharpie marks to maintain a uniform width of the micro-bevel rotate.
   
   
4. Rotate the gouge until you contact the third (flat) surface. The gouge should be close enough to the correct angle to sharpen the entire surface at the same time. Repeat Steps 5 through 7 as needed. (TIP: It may help to reapply the ink between steps.)
   
   
5. Repeat the hone process 1 or 2 times. The inside surfaces normally will not require any touch up after honing the outside.

To shape:

1. Install 400 grit for gouges smaller than 3/8”, 120 grit for 3/8”-3/4” gouges, and 80 grit for gouges larger than 3/4”. Use the solid media and wheel for this step.
   
   
2. Plunge the end of the gouge into the top of the wheel to produce the desired angle. For a straight grind, plunge at 90° to the wheel. For a fishtail or winged gouge, plunge at approximately 75° to the wheel. This step will position the final cutting edge.
   
   
3. Switch to slotted wheels with the same grits. Hold the gouge at approximately 25° below horizontal and grind one of the flat faces until the cutting edge is formed along the surface produced in the previous grind. (Take you time to avoid over heating the tool or damaging the abrasive.)
   
   
4. Switch to the other flat face and repeat step 3 on that side.
   
   
5. Switch to the next finer grit wheel. Apply ink to both flat faces.
   
   
6. Position the first face under the wheel and slowly feed the gouge into the wheel with light pressure. You will see the grinding begin on the surface, lightly position the gouge so that the entire surface is being ground at the same time.
   
   
7. Roughly hold the gouge at this angle, and lightly roll the gouge on its axis across the middle to produce the (curved) surface. Use the "Sharpie" marks as a guide to maintain the angle as you rotate.
   
   
8. Rotate the gouge until you contact the third (flat) surface. The gouge should be close enough to the correct angle to sharpen the entire surface at the same time. Lightly roll the gouge between the two flat faces until the faces are connected with a smooth uniform curved surface. Continue this operation until the curved edge is formed at the surface produced in Step 2. This step is the most difficult to master. Proceed slowly so that you don’t over grind the middle of the gouge. (If you do over grind the center, repeat Steps 3 and 4 until the three cutting edges are continuous and smooth.)
   
   
9. Once the desired shape has been ground and the rough cutting edges are formed, proceed with sharpening as described above. (TIP: It may be useful to hone the inside surfaces at this point to remove any large burrs formed during shaping.)

For additional information regarding this sharpening method, or the Work Sharp WS3000 system, contact:

Professional Tool MFG
210 E. Hersey St.
Ashland , OR 97520
Phone: 1-800-597-6170
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